Thursday, 19 November 2015

How to do Galapagos on Your Own

I always thought that travelling to the Galapagos Islands would be something I´d never ever do. Yet, I'm writing this blog post from an internet cafe in Puerto Ayora, the main town on Isla Santa Cruz. Lots of travel companies will have you believe that the only way to see these incredible islands by booking a cruise for extortionate prices. Nothing is less true. You don't have to be a millionaire or take out a loan to come here.

I will tell you how in this blog post and probably a couple more sequels.

What I did was book a flight from Quito to Baltra, which cost me roughly 170 Pound Sterling. I then went on Booking.com and looked for accommodation. I am staying at a hotel which costs me 25USD per night. It's nothing to write home about, but I do have a massive king sized bed all to myself.

Food wise you can find everything here, from dirt cheap to fancy smansy. So you can organise that the way you want. Although I find a glass of wine a tad on the pricey side.

The island of Santa Cruz has some lovely spots you can visit on your own. I had a look at the Charles Darwin Centre, Gemelos which are sink holes turned nature parks, a turtle farm and the whitest beach I've ever seen in Tortuga Bay.

For the rest of my 6 day stay, I have booked a day trip to Isla Isabela for USD120, one to Isla Floreana and one to San Cristobal Island, each at 90 USD.

So far I have seen sea lions, swam with sea turtles, walked around land turtles, gazed at penguins and flamingos, and dodged huddles of iguanas. And I am sure there is lots more to come.

4 comments:

I so agree.I went last year and just organised it all myself doing day trips to the islands and wandering around. Was so amazing! Have a great time! http://www.thatadventurer.co.uk/galapagos-islands-budget/